Electrical outlet boxes are well known in the art and are commonly used to perform two principal functions. First, an electrical outlet box commonly serves as a mounting structure for installing an electrical device, such as a light, fan or other fixture, to be exposed through a covering, such as wall board or ceiling panels. Second, an electrical outlet box commonly serves as a connection point for connecting electrical devices such as outlets and switches to electrical wires which, in turn, are connected to a main power source.
Electrical outlet boxes are commonly manufactured in various shapes and sizes. The particular size and shape of an electrical box is based largely upon the particular application in which the outlet box is to be used. In addition, depending on the application the material from which an outlet box is made will vary.
Electrical outlet boxes are typically shaped to include a back panel and one or more side panels which project perpendicularly from the back panel. The back panel and the one or more side panels together define an interior cavity into which electrical wiring is disposed. Each of the one or more side panels includes a free front edge and all the free edges collectively define an opening which provides access to the interior cavity of the outlet box. The particular volume of the interior cavity of the outlet box is typically designed based upon the number of wires entering the box and the type and number of devices attached to the outlet box. Electrical outlet boxes also commonly include one or more outwardly projecting tabs which facilitate mounting the box onto a structure. Specifically, each outwardly projecting tab is adapted to receive a securing device, such as a nail or screw, which, in turn, can be disposed into a structure, such as a support beam or outlet panel, so as to fixedly mount the outlet box onto the structure. Other inwardly projecting protrusions are adapted to receive screws or other mounting hardware of a switch, outlet or other device to be attached to the outlet box.
In use, a new-work electrical outlet box can be used to install an electrical receptacle, or outlet, into a wall in the following manner. During the preliminary stages of constructing a building, support beams, typically two-by-fours, are typically erected in order to define the general room configurations of the building. With the support beams erected, a nail disposed through each tab of the outlet box is driven into a support beam, thereby fixedly mounting the outlet box onto an associated support beam at a desired location within a room of the building.
After an electrical outlet box is attached to a wall stud or other structural member, electrical wiring which is coupled to the main electrical power source is run amongst the structural members and into the various rooms of a building. Particular wires of the electrical wiring are fed through the openings through the wall of each outlet box into its interior cavity in order to provide electrical power to the outlet or switch which is subsequently installed in the outlet box. These openings are commonly created by removing break-away tabs which are pre-formed in the walls of an outlet box.
Having mounted the electrical outlet boxes onto studs and having fed selected electrical wires into the interior cavity of the wall boxes, wall paneling, typically sheet rock but also referred to as wall board, is then mounted onto the support beams to enclose the various rooms of the building. The sections of wall board are typically mounted onto the support beams directly over the outlet boxes.
As can be appreciated, with the wall board mounted onto the support beams directly over the electrical outlet boxes, an electrician is unable to access the interior cavity of the outlet boxes and, as a result, is unable to install the electrical outlets into the outlet boxes. Accordingly, the wall board installer is required to create openings in the wall board at the location of each outlet box in order to provide a means of accessing the interior cavity of the outlet boxes. Conventionally, a router is used to pierce through the wall board and cut out a hole exposing each outlet box. The location of each outlet box behind the wall board is found by drilling a hole through the wall board at the estimated placement of the outlet boxes. Should the router hit the wiring inside an outlet box the wire is damaged. It is difficult and time consuming to fix such damaged wiring.
Once the wall board has been cut so as to expose the interior recess of the outlet boxes, a worker plasters the wall board to cover tape and mounting screws. Too often the plaster, or joint compound or stucco, gets into the outlet boxes and must later be removed with attendant difficulty. After the wall board has been plastered and sanded, another worker paints the wall board, thereby completing construction of the walls of the rooms. With construction of the walls having been completed, an electrician connects one or more electrical outlets or switches to the wires which are disposed within the interior cavity of the outlet boxes in order to electrically connect them to a main power source. The outlets and switches are fixedly retained in place by using one or more screws through openings formed in the electrical outlets and switches and into engagement with a threaded bore hole formed on the inside wall of the outlet box. A cover plate is then mounted over the outlets and switches and is secured in place by one or more screws.
Although well known and widely used in commerce, electrical outlet boxes of the type described above suffer from notable drawbacks.
As a first example, it has been found that disposing electrical wires within an outlet box having an open front end leaves the wires exposed during subsequent stages of construction, which is highly undesirable. Specifically, when an a outlet board installer or other person uses a router to cut an opening in the wall board in order to access the interior cavity of a outlet box, the router, on too many occasions, will contact the wires disposed within the box. As a consequence, the wiring is damaged and must be repaired.
As a second example, it has been found that, when a plasterer plasters over wall board or when a router is used to cut out a hole for outlet boxes, significant amounts of debris and plaster accumulate within the interior cavity of the outlet boxes. As a result, an electrician is forced to clean out the debris which has collected within the outlet boxes before installing any electrical devices. This renders the work of the electrician more labor intensive, which is highly undesirable.
As a third example, after the wallboard work is done a primer paint coat is often applied to the walls with a spray gun and the paint gets into the outlet boxes and onto the wires therein. It is difficult to remove the paint to identify the color of the wires and there is a chance of errors. In addition, some paints may contain chemicals that are detrimental to the plastic insulation on the wires.
To solve these problems various temporary protective covers for electrical outlet boxes have been devised. These covers keep debris out of the outlet boxes and protect the wiring therein. However, if a wall board installer covers an electrical outlet box with a piece of wall board and forgets to cut a hole through the wall board to expose an outlet box, the electrician has even more work to locate the outlet box and then cut a hole to expose it and complete the wiring.
Accordingly, there is a need in the prior art for a temporary protective cover for electrical outlet boxes that will provide a visual indication of its presence and position to both wallboard installers and to electricians, will prevent damage to wires inside outlet boxes, and will keep debris, plaster and paint out of outlet boxes until an electrician is ready to connect electrical outlets and switches to wires inside the boxes.